Between September 10th and November 26th, 2019, embRACE LA
The following reviews the results from the surveys and dinner conversations. Key takeaways include
Perceptions
ORE Support and Priorities
(i)Note: A total of 567 community surveys were gathered on the website, but only 542 of these were from individuals who reported either living, working, or studying in LA City. This analysis does not include the 25 individuals without a connection to LA City.
(ii)Note: When interpreting these findings, do keep in mind that they represent the subset of Angelinos who decided to be involved in embRACE either through the survey or the dinners. People who completed the community survey are more likely to identify as women, Black or African American, or ages 25-44 compared to the LA City population. Additionally, many respondents came from council districts in South LA and Mid-City.
During conversations, dinner participants imagined an equitable and inclusive LA City as a place with
Only 1 in 4 (22%) of Angelinos who took the survey agreed or strongly agreed that LA City is an equitable and inclusive place to live for people of all races and ethnicities.
Only 1 in 4 (26%) of people attending our dinners agreed or strongly agreed with the same statement.
About 3 in 4 of Angelinos who took the community survey had little or no trust in the city to provide equal city services (77%) or equal opportunities to participate in decision-making for all people (74%).
Dinner participants were slightly more trusting of the city. Though, more than 1 in 2 reported little or no trust in the city to provide people of all races and ethnicities equal city services (69%), equal opportunities to participate in city decision-making (60%), or generally equal treatment (55%).
Housing affordability, gentrification and displacement, and racism and discrimination are viewed as the top barriers to creating a more equitable LA by Angelinos who took the community survey.
Dinner participants most often believed housing affordability, income, and racism and discrimination were among the top 3 barriers to creating a more equitable LA.
Over 50% of Angelinos who took the community survey or participated in the dinners thought housing affordability was one of the top 3 barriers to greater equity in LA.
30% or more of Angelinos who took the community survey or participated in the dinners thought racism and discrimination were one of the top 3 barriers to greater equity in LA.
In dinner conversations, people expanded on these major trends
| Count | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Housing affordability | 310 | 57 |
| Gentrification and displacement | 201 | 37 |
| Racism and discrimination | 184 | 34 |
| Public participation | 29 | 5 |
| Environmental justice | 29 | 5 |
| Public safety | 28 | 5 |
| Food security | 22 | 4 |
| City services | 14 | 3 |
| Count | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| Housing affordability | 58 | 52 |
| Income | 35 | 31 |
| Racism and discrimination | 34 | 30 |
| Food security | 6 | 5 |
| Infrastructure | 5 | 4 |
| City services | 3 | 3 |
Over 4 out of 5 survey respondents (84%) and dinner participants (84%) believed creating greater equity and inclusivity in our city should be a HIGH priority for LA City government and officials.
Over 4 in 5 people attending our dinners (85%) supported or strongly supported created an Office of Racial Equity in LA City.
Angelinos who took the community survey most often believed that to work toward greater equity in LA, the city should invest dollars based on community need (69%), invest in local minority-owned businesses (64%), and make grants to local organizations that are addressing racial equity (60%).
When asked to prioritize what the City should do first with an Office of Racial Equity, dinner participants most often prioritized applying equitable budgeting tools to make city investments based on need (19%).
Investments in local minority-owned business (76%), application of equitable budgeting tools (75%), hiring of diverse city staff from local communities (69%), and grants to local community organizations (68%) are potential ORE activities that dinner participants most often believed would have a HIGH impact on racial equity.
In their conversations, dinner participants lifted up similar roles and other systems and structure for the ORE
| Count | Percent | |
|---|---|---|
| City investments and dollars distributed based on community need | 371 | 69% |
| Investments in local minority-owned businesses | 343 | 64% |
| Grants to local community organizations that are addressing racial equity | 325 | 60% |
| Trainings for city staff on implicit bias, race, and racism | 318 | 59% |
| Hiring diverse city staff from local communities | 307 | 57% |
| Opportunities for public participation in city decision-making | 303 | 56% |
| City decisions made based on their effect on racial equity | 303 | 56% |
| Conversations between City staff and community members about community needs | 296 | 55% |
| Collecting and analyzing data on racial equity and sharing it with the public | 291 | 54% |
| Opportunities and spaces for communities to come together on their own and solve issues | 250 | 46% |
| Guided conversations between community members about race and racism | 238 | 44% |
| Activity | Count | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Application of equitable budgeting tools to make city investments based on need | 15 | 19% |
| Hiring diverse city staff from local communities | 9 | 11% |
| Investments in local minority-owned businesses | 9 | 11% |
| Grants to local community organizations that are addressing racial equity | 3 | 4% |
| Trainings for city staff on implicit bias, race, and racism | 2 | 2% |
| Activity | Count | Percent High Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Investments in local minority-owned businesses. | 61 | 76% |
| Application of equitable budgeting tools to make city investments based on community need. | 59 | 75% |
| Hiring diverse city staff from local communities. | 55 | 69% |
| Grants to local community organizations that are addressing racial equity. | 54 | 68% |
| Application of a Racial Equity Impact analysis for city officials to use when making policy decisions. | 50 | 62% |
| Collecting and analyzing data on racial equity and sharing it with the public. | 50 | 62% |
| Trainings for city staff on implicit bias, race and racism. | 49 | 61% |
| Trainings for community residents on how to participate in city government. | 49 | 61% |
| Setting racial equity action plans that outline vision, strategies, and actions for the office and city departments. | 47 | 59% |
| Guided conversations between community members about race and racism. | 47 | 59% |
| Establishment of a community oversight commission for the Office of Racial Equity. | 44 | 55% |
| Implementation of civic engagement standards to improve public participation in city decision-making. | 44 | 55% |
Zip codes of respondents who indicated they live in LA. Size of dot represents number of individuals who responded at that zip code
Zip codes of respondents who indicated they work in LA. Size of dot represents number of individuals who responded at that zip code
| Response | Count | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Voted in an election | 388 | 72% |
| Signed a petition in-person or online | 372 | 69% |
| Volunteered in my community | 347 | 64% |
| Activity | Count | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Volunteered in my community | 92 | 82% |
| Attended a community meeting | 92 | 82% |
| Attended a public meeting | 87 | 78% |